I was making the very familiar, often traveled forty-five-minute trek from our house to the city, winding through the curvy, country back roads, music blasting, enjoying the time away from my computer keyboard. As I was driving down the road, I came to a stretch where the curves straightened out on a nice long straightaway. I could see a few hundred yards in front of me. As I looked into the distance, I saw three deer slowly crossing the road.
As I slowed to a stop, I could see it was a mama doe with two little spotted baby deer. As I watched the deer, I became fascinated watching the mother deer. She had positioned herself so that if a car were going to hit anyone, it would be her. She put herself between the car and the deer.
Then, I noticed the behavior of the two little deer. One took the lead from the mother, stayed protected by her, and crossed to safety. However, the other little deer didn't allow the mother to take care of it. It dawdled across the road, turned around a few times, and went back into the road, back into the danger zone outside of its mother's protection. Eventually, it got across the street, the mother deer finished crossing, and I could get back on my way.
As I continued on the road, I felt the Holy Spirit say, "Did you see how the mother deer tried to protect her child and keep it from harm? That is exactly how God treats His children. He stands in the gap to keep the enemy from getting at His children to hurt or destroy them. If God's children surrender their will to His, obey His commands, and do what He called them to do, He will stand in the gap and protect them.
However, if God's children refuse to do things God's way, if they continue to toy with the evil and danger around them, if they continue to ignore the temptations, sins, and dangers around them and remove themselves from the protection obedience to God gives them, then, like the little deer, they leave themselves exposed to the enemy, sins, trials, and temptations."
Then, the Holy Spirit showed me something else. Even though the second deer went off on its own and put itself in danger, the mama deer didn't get disgusted and walk away.
No! She stood pat, offering her protection. All the little deer needed to do to be protected was get back to where it was supposed to be, do what it was supposed to do, and it would be right back where it needed to be.
I learned a few things from these deer that I want to share with you today.
1. Our Heavenly Father always offers us protection.
There is not a single trial or temptation that the enemy can throw at us that God will not protect us from as long as we are willing to rely on Him to protect us. When the enemy throws anything at us, we need to cry out to God for Help and take shelter in His protection. He is "our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." (Psalms 46:1) He always has our back and will take care of us.
2. Obedience brings us protection.
We see this through the example of the first deer. It did what it was supposed to do. It crossed the road safely behind its mom and found shelter on the other side, safe from the dangers lurking on the roadway. When we live the kind of life God wants us to live, a life of obedience and surrender, we take away the opportunities for the enemy to try and trap us. We go about our Heavenly Father's business, and He provides us cover to do what we should do.
3. Disobedience opens us to the enemy's attack.
We see this through the example of the second deer. It didn't do what it was supposed to do. It walked away from the protection it was given and, by doing so, opened itself to being struck by me or another car driving down this road. The same happens when we live a life of compromise or sin.
The enemy can only get to us when we allow him to get to us. Because God places us on firm, unshakeable ground, he can only get at us when we compromise and sin.
This is a huge issue among Christians today. Too many believers are pushing the envelope of compromise, seeing just how far they can wander out of God's protection before they get hit by the car and face sin's consequences. But the enemy is shrewd. He makes it look safer than it actually is, and before we know it, compromise leaves us exposed and out from under God's protection. We are wide open to the enemy's attacks on our lives.
4. God never moves. We can get back under His protection.
Amen! That is the good news for all God's children who find themselves in the place where they have wandered away. God is still right where He always was, offering His shield and safety. All we have to do is admit our sins, repent, and return to where we had initially left. We can again come under God's protection by obeying and submitting. That is the good news of the Gospel!
God is our protector. A godly man accepts and embraces this protection, knowing there is safety behind God.
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